Name ______________________________ Class __________ Date ____________________
Baseline Assessment
1. The respiratory system of an elephant functions in a similar way to which organelle in a single celled
organism?
(1) cell membrane
(2) nucleus
(3) vacuole
(4) chloroplast
2. The offspring of a species of bird known as the European roller possess an effective defense
mechanism. When they sense a threat by predators, the young birds vomit and cover themselves with a
foul-smelling liquid. Which two systems work together to alert the young birds of danger and help
produce the vomit?
(1) respiratory and excretory
(2) circulatory and immune
(3) nervous and digestive
(4) reproductive and muscular
3. Most of the reactions by which energy from carbohydrates is released for use by the cell take place
within the
(1) mitochondria
(2) nuclei
(3) ribosomes
(4) vacuoles
4. Rejection of a newly transplanted organ is caused by
(1) the immune system reacting to the presence of the organ
(2) antibiotics that stimulate the immune system to attack the organ
(3) inheritance of genetic disorders from infected individuals
(4) development of cancerous cells in the organ
5. As blood glucose levels increase, hormones are released to return glucose levels to normal. This is an
example of
(1) a nervous system disorder
(2) the synthesis of antibodies
(3) a stimulus and a response
(4) an antigen and antibody reaction
6. Which statement describes a failure of homeostasis in humans?
(1) When activity in an individual increases, the body temperature rises and the individual sweats.
(2) As the concentration of carbon dioxide increases in the human body, the lungs begin to expel more
carbon dioxide.
(3) A viral infection leads to a decrease in the number of white blood cells being produced in the body.
(4) After an individual gets a cut, certain chemical changes begin the healing process.
7. A hummingbird may need to consume up to 50% of its body weight in sugar each day, just to meet its
energy needs. Some of this energy is stored and some is used for metabolic activities, but much of the
energy is
(1) converted into amino acids needed for the production of starch
(2) released as heat energy back into the hummingbird’s environment
(3) changed into radiant energy, which can be used by plants for photosynthesis
(4) used to synthesize inorganic compounds necessary for cellular respiration
8. Which biological process is represented in the diagram below?
(1) photosynthesis
(2) respiration
(3) digestion
(4) replication
9. The diagram below shows specialized plant cells that control openings called stomates.
The proper function of these cells is vital to the survival of the plant because they regulate the
(1) rate of glucose use by root cells
(2) absorption of sunlight by leaf cells
(3) products of photosynthesis in the stem
(4) exchange of gases in leaves
10. Substance X directly supplies energy for various life functions, as shown in the diagram below
Which substance is represented by X in the diagram?
(1) ATP
(2) DNA
(3) starch
(4) glucose
11. Lymphatic capillaries are found throughout the body. Both the lymphatic and circulatory systems
transport substances between the bloodstream and body tissues. These two systems are also involved in
fighting infections.
The arrows shown in the diagram that go from the blood capillaries to the interstitial fluid most likely
represent the
(1) release of red blood cells, so that they can diffuse into body cells and fight bacteria
(2) movement of materials from the circulatory system that will eventually enter lymphatic capillaries
(3) transport of digestive enzymes from the blood to help with the digestion of glucose in muscle cells
(4) transport of glucose molecules from the blood to be used by cells to attack proteins and fats
12. The diagram represents a sugar cube being dropped into an undisturbed beaker of water at room
temperature. One sugar molecule is labeled.
Which diagram below represents the distribution of sugar molecules in the water a day later?
8. In which cell structure is energy extracted from nutrients?
(1) chloroplast
(2) ribosome
(3) mitochondrion
(4) vacuole
14. Some viruses attack cells by attaching to their outer covering, entering, and taking over their genetic
“machinery.” Viruses are able to invade cells after first attaching to their
(1) nuclear membrane
(2) cell membrane
(3) genetic machinery
(4) viral proteins
15. The diagram below represents changes that take place within the human body
The diagram represents
(1) cellular differentiation
(3) gene interaction
(2) dynamic equilibrium
(4) biological evolution
16. White blood cells are most closely associated with which two body systems?
(1) circulatory and digestive
(2) immune and circulatory
(3) digestive and excretory
(4) excretory and immune
17. Anhidrosis is the inability to sweat normally. If the human body cannot sweat properly, it cannot cool
itself, which is potentially harmful. Anhidrosis most directly interferes with
(1) a feedback mechanism that maintains homeostasis
(2) an immune system response to harmless antigens
(3) the synthesis of hormones in the circulatory system
(4) the enzymatic breakdown of water in cells
18. Carmine, a compound that comes from the cochineal beetle, is used as a food coloring. The food
coloring is not harmful to most people, but in a small number of individuals, it causes a reaction and
affects their ability to breathe. This response to carmine is known as
(1) a stimulus
(2) an allergy
(3) natural selection
(4) an adaptation
19. The role of antibodies in the human body is to
(1) stimulate pathogen reproduction to produce additional white blood cells
(2) increase the production of guard cells to defend against pathogens
(3) promote the production of antigens to stimulate an immune response
(4) recognize foreign antigens and mark them for destruction
20. Doctors sometimes use a vaccine to prepare the body to defend itself against future infections. These
vaccines most often contain
(1) antibodies
(2) antibiotics
(3) white blood cells
(4) weakened pathogens
21. Certain seaweeds contain a greater concentration of iodine inside their cells than there is in the
seawater surrounding them. The energy required to maintain this concentration difference is most closely
associated with the action of
(1) ribosomes (2) mitochondria (3) vacuoles (4) nuclei
22. An ameba is a single-celled organism. It uses its cell membrane to obtain food from its environment,
digests the food with the help of organelles called lysosomes, and uses other organelles to process the
digested food. From this, we can best infer that
(1) all single-celled organisms have lysosomes to digest food
(2) amoebas are capable of digesting any type of food molecule
(3) single-celled organisms are as complex as multicellular organisms
(4) structures in amoebas have functions similar to organs in multicellular organisms
23. Placenta previa is a medical condition that occurs in some pregnant women. Women with this
condition are often placed on bed rest, which prohibits them from any strenuous activity that may cause
the blood vessels in the placenta to rupture. If not diagnosed, placenta previa can be a very dangerous
condition because the placenta is
(1) the primary source of oxygen for the mother
(2) where the fetus obtains milk from the mother
(3) where nutrients and wastes are exchanged
(4) the primary source of estrogen and progesterone in the mother
24. Over time, a tree that once had a total mass of 300 g increased in mass to 3000 kg. This increase in
mass comes mostly from
(1) carbon dioxide that enters through the leaf openings
(2) oxygen that enters through the leaf openings
(3) soil that all plants need to grow
(4) chloroplasts that enter the roots and move to the leaves
25. The diagram below represents a portion of a cell membrane.
The arrow indicates that the cell membrane is carrying out the process of
(1) respiration
(2) cell recognition
(3) diffusion
(4) active transport
26. Base your answer on the information below and on your knowledge of biology. The diagram below
represents the human female reproductive system.
Select one of the lettered parts from the diagram. Circle the letter of the part that you selected, and
identify the part. State how a malfunction in the structure that you identified could interfere with an
individual’s ability to reproduce.
Part selected (circle one)
A
B
C
Identification:_________________________________________________________________________
Explanation:__________________________________________________________________________
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HIV Infection
The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), which can lead to AIDS, is a type of virus that adds its
genetic material to the DNA of the host cell. HIV reproduces within the host cell and exits through a
process called budding. In the process of budding, the newly forming virus merges with the host cell
membrane and pinches off, taking with it a section of the host-cell membrane. It then enters into
circulation.
27. Explain how an outer covering composed of a section of a cell membrane from the host would protect
HIV from attack by the host’s immune system.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
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28. Describe one specific way that HIV makes the body unable to deal with other pathogens and cancer.
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The diagram below represents a lab setup. The artificial cell (dialysis tube) contains a starch solution and
the beaker contains a solution of starch indicator and water. The setup is left undisturbed for twenty
minutes
29. Identify one molecule, present in this setup, that will be able to pass through the dialysis tubing.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
30. Describe one observation that could be made that would confirm that the molecule you identified in
question 77 had passed through the membrane._______________________________________________
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A student added equal volumes of water to two different beakers. He then added blue food dye to one and
yellow to the other. Next, he placed a white paper towel across the two beakers so that it went down into
the liquid and connected the two beakers.
31. After 20 minutes, the section of paper towel connecting the two beakers had turned color. The towel
most likely turned green as a result of the
(1) separation of the dye molecules through the process of chromatography
(2) dyes moving across the towel due to the process of electrophoresis
(3) diffusion of the blue- and yellow-dyed water across the towel
(4) active transport of the blue and yellow food dyes